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Hillary Clinton - Source: Reuters -
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US Senator Hillary Clinton says she will take a pragmatic approach to diplomacy as the next US secretary of state while senators raised questions over her husband's fund-raising activities.
At her confirmation hearing to be the top US diplomat under incoming President Barack Obama, Clinton promised to use 'smart power' rather than the ideological approach that the outgoing Bush administration was accused of.
"We must use what has been called smart power, the full range of tools at our disposal. With smart power, diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy," she told the Senate foreign Relations Committee.
Clinton was expected to be confirmed as secretary of state but both Republican and Democratic lawmakers raised questions about the fund-raising activities of her husband, former President Bill Clinton for his global foundation.
"The core of the problem is that foreign governments and entities may perceive the Clinton Foundation as a means to gain favor with the Secretary of State," said Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, a Republican, who demanded "transparency" from the foundation.
The Democratic chair of the committee, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, agreed there were still outstanding questions over her husband's fund-raising activities but he said the former New York senator would help turn around foreign opinion toward the United States.
"Her presence overseas will send a strong signal immediately that America is back," Kerry said in his opening statement. "She will take office on a first name basis with numerous heads of state.
In her first comments on foreign policy under an incoming Obama administration, Clinton said the United States must address Israel's security needs while at the same time tackle the legitimate political and economic aspirations of the Palestinians.
She said the United States must effectively challenge Iran to end its nuclear weapons program and convince both Tehran and Syria to "abandon their dangerous behavior and become constructive regional actors."
Obama surprised many by tapping his former rival for the presidency to become his secretary of state, selecting a political heavyweight who won more than 18 million votes in the Democratic primaries before dropping out of the race.
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